APAC

'C The World': Part Two

Views 24/04/2017

Here at Carat UK, we know we’re at our best personally and professionally when we’re more connected, more curious and more confident. That sentiment is summed up by our cultural mission: Make Brave Happen.

Matthew Knighthead of strategic innovationLondonMake Brave HappenC The World

This year, as part of Make Brave Happen – a number of our people are involved in ‘C the World’, an exchange program within Carat’s worldwide network. Those involved, are working to demonstrate the benefits their connections can bring, with the added bonus of being able to make a trip to their partnering office in the Summer.

In this, our second ‘C The World’ interview, I speak with Dan Watson, client and operations director about his project:

MK: Tell me about your project, what you are aiming to do?DW: I’m aiming to learn about APAC eCommerce platforms and ad opportunities to inform future strategy in Europe while in-turn, sharing learnings from Europe to APAC.

MK: What progress have you made so far?DW: I’ve been in touch with nearly 20 senior people -across our Singapore and China offices- who have all been hugely helpful in building a picture of APAC eCommerce.

MK: What challenges have you come across?DW: There doesn’t seem to be much interest in what’s happening in Europe which is slightly surprising, as Amazon is certainly aiming to break into APAC markets.

MK: What lessons have you already learned?DW: The one gripe I have with technology, is that it has made the world increasingly homogeneous. In APAC, the names may be different, the rate of adoption too, but the eCommerce advertising models seem very familiar to those used in Europe. Also, despite the regional ambitions of many of the platforms, APAC eCommerce is rooted in individual markets. Alibaba for instance, despite being listed on the NYSE, still generates only 7% of its revenue outside of China.

MK: What are you hoping to be able to show the judges?DW: I’d like to find insights to power a new way of working for eCommerce in Carat UK.

MK: That’s it for us for now. We'll be back next week checking in on another of the ongoing “C The World” projects, to understand their ambition and see how they are getting on, and when the judging has taken place - we'll follow the winner to their market of choice, to see their plan unfold further.

Matthew Knighthead of strategic innovationLondonMake Brave HappenC The World